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Show HnaBnB . tVW tJffvqQpa5aiM'qSgagNai irruinir lkJ- - inSiTrfi W64fc-5- n4Mfc c BACK PACE EDITOR Monday, December 5, 201 Brooke Cersosimo, 1 By ANTHONY ANDERSON aandersonsuunews.com ORU guard Kevi Luper scored 3 1 points and led Oral Roberts to its highest score this season to defeat the SUU womens 109-5- 9 basketball team Saturday afternoon in Tulsa, Okla. are now 5 overall and 1 The in conference play. Center Carli Moreland led the with 14 points and 10 rebounds, shooting from the field and hitting free throws during the game. Guard Hailey Mandelko was the only in double-digitother scoring 13 points. SUU started going inside early to Moreland, where she scored the first seven points of the game, giving the a 6 advantage. Just over six minutes into the game, were still hanging with the Forward Tayler Anderson looks to pass the ball during practice the Golden SUU Eagles to its first afternoon. conference game Tuesday dropped Next, ORU scored 15 unanswered Oral Roberts 109-5- 9 Saturday. 2-- 0-- s, 7-- 12-1- 2. points building a 27-1- 2 lead. Guard Jaci Bigham helped the Golden Eagles during the run with two while guard Georgia Jones hit one from behind the arc as well. The fought back with a 2 run but were out done again with an 8 0 ORU run, extending the lead to 20 in favor of the home team. During the last five minutes of the first half, both teams traded baskets until the half came to an end with the Golden Eagles leading SUU 48-2hit a During the first half, the mere 28 percent of their shots from the field, while the Golden Eagles were from the field making four baskets. In the second half, Mandelko created some offensive rhythm scoring 8 points, including two shots from behind t.ie arc. SUU hit 43.5 percent of its shots in 5-- 9. the second half, but the Golden Eagles continued shooting well. The Golden Eagles put on their best 586-548- 8 offensive performance of the season shots for 63 percent. hitting 0 ORU cutscored the during the second half enroute to its victory. The Golden Eagles had four players score in double-digit- s including Luper, Bigham with 13 and center Amber Carver and forward Jordan Pyle with 10 points apiece. SUU continues its road trip with a game against Brigham Young University Thursday at 7 p.m. in Provo. In addition, the will travel north to Orem on this weekend for a rematch' against Utah Valley at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Head coach JR Payne was concerned about the consistency of their transition offense and rebounding. Those are two things that need to be staples for us, she said. If we can be consistent in those areas, I think that will really help our future success. 24-of-- 61-3- nt Momental collapse costs SUU at ORU By CARTER WILLIAMS cwilliamssuunews.com SUU was literally one minute away from starting conference play on a winning note and picking up its first win at Oral Roberts since 2002, until everything fell apart for the mens basketball team. - ORU went on an 0 run in the final minute of play to jump past SUU, defeating the 5 Saturday night in Tulsa, Okla. We can play with anybody, assistant coach Ron Carling said, in a postgame interview with Power 91s Art Challis. Its just a matter of finishing and getting the job done when it comes down the wire. 1 SUU (4-Summit 5 with 4:28 League) led left in regulation after forward Jackson Stevenett completed an play. The lead was the largest in the game. SUU attempted to pull away from the Golden Eagles, but ORU outscored the 16-- 2 after Stevenetts free throw. ORU (6-Summit League) took the lead on a layup with 24 seconds left in regulation on a r, by center Damen which gave the Golden Eagles a advantage. ORU forward Michael Craion then stole the ball on SUUs ensuing possession and was fouled flagrantly by guard Jordan Johnson, which resulted in a pair of free throws by Craion and Golden Eagles maintained possession. After another set of ORU free throws, which gave the Golden lead, Eagles a forward Matt Massey missed a and the game came to an end. 7-- 61-5- 0-- 4, 53-4- 2, Bell-Holte- Carling said he believes the loss will serve as an inspiration for the team to get better. We just have to keep our heads up and understand and were getting better keep working at it, he said. You keep losing close ones like this, it kind of takes your heart out for awhile. We have to understand that weve gotta battle back ... things are gonna fall our way at some point in time, if we continue to work. SUU played shorthanded throughout the game after guard Damon Heuir, who had started all of the previous seven games and came into the game second in scoring, didnt make the trip to Tulsa because of violation of academic team rules. Head coach Roger Reid made the announcement before the game Saturday, but did not specify which rule Heuir broke or how long the suspension would be. Stevenett led all scorers with 20 points for SUU, while guard Wade Collie, who replaced Heuir in the starting lineup, added 12 points for the SUU outshot ORU 47-4- 3 percent from the field, but were 2 outrebounded and 14-- 6 on the offensive glass. SUU also committed 15 turnovers, while forcing 12 Golden Eagle turnovers. Craion led ORU with 15 points, while picked up 11 points and 11 rebounds in his first for a double-doubl- e extended action since suffering a preseason back injury. The will return to action Saturday instate rival Weber State. Tipoff against the Wildcats is slated for 7 p.m. in Ogden. 28-2- Bell-Holt- er UNIVERSITY JOURNAL FILE PHOTO Caitlyn Sears scores a basket during a game last season, Sears was a senior last year for the but this season she was hired by head coach JR Payne as an assistant coach. Sears said coaching basketball is her passion, and she wants to be involved in coaching for 7 many years to come. From player to coach, Sears embraces SUU experience By CARTER WILLIAMS cwilhamssuunews.com ASHER SWAN Forward Jackson Stevenett against Montana defeated by Oral Roberts Nov. State-Billin- 61-5- UNIVERSITY JOURNAL goes up for the basket 5 17. SUU Saturday night. was Caitlyn Sears isnt used to sitting on the bench during games inside the Centrum Arena. Just last year, the from Cedar Hills, was on the court as a player and a captain and started all 30 oi the basketball womens team's games. In fact, Sears started 1 10 games in her four years as a player for SUU. But now Sears has changed her game, transitioning from one of the most prolific scorers in school history to one of the youngest assistant coaches in Division I. I always planned on coaching, whether it was the college level or the high school level, Sears said. It was just fortunate enough at 22, I got the opportunity of a lifetime to be an assistant coach at a D-- I university, which doesnt come across every day. Im very blessed and lucky to have this opportunity. It was in the summer of 2008 when Sears began preparing for her sophomore year when she realized she wanted to enter the world of coaching. She said she was coaching at a camp run by the teams late head coach Steve Hodson, when Hodson asked her if she would seriously consider coaching down the road. "He told me, if you like it, you should go into teaching or coaching and look into that degree, she said, recalling her conversation with Hodson. It was something I enjoyed. I enjoy helping people. I enjoy seeing their success new things. teaching them From Player to Coach Not only did Sears start all 30 games last season, she also led the team in minutes played and was second in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game. She completed her career at SUU with 1,216 points, which in currently ranks fifth school history. But unlike her teammate Challis Pascucci, who decided to pursue a professional basketball career in Spain, Sears decided to remain at SUU to finish her degree in physical education, which was also the perfect opportunity for head coach JR Payne for this season. With Payne and associate head coach Toriano Towns looking for all-ti- new assistants after last season, Sears was became a logical choice. Sears and Nicole Ryan, a former Division I player at American University, were then hired in August to help coach " the team. Cait is going to be a to asset our tremendous coaching staff, Payne said in a SUU Sports Information press release announcing the hiring on Aug. 11. As a player, she was always our leader both on and off the floor. Caits work ethic and passion for the game is undeniable and has always earned her the respect of her peers as well as everyone around her. Sears said she was approached over the summer about the job and was prepared to accept it right on the spot.. See COACH, Page 11 |